Getting there is half the fun

the last supper...

The gang having some Indian food on my last night in Singapore:

Posted by Evan at 10:12 AM

got a new place to live!!

I got into Fairview Crescent for next year!! Yipee. That's a good thing since my truck isn't aircared right now. So no more commuting:) but more student loans:(.

Now I'm off to Hong Kong for a week to meet Billy and Kelvin. See you all in a week!!

Posted by Evan at 2:35 AM

predrinking!!

The gang predrinking at the Wine Bar before heading to Zouk!

Posted by Evan at 10:15 AM

working hard, as usual

Today Sacadevan and I found a praying mantis outside of the lab!! So being good scientists we caught it, put it in a plastic bag and brought it into the lab for further inpection. I have never seen a praying mantis before, other than the Discovery Channel. They are really neat looking creatures and do look like they are 'praying'. They are bloody fast too. The thing used the barbs on its legs to rocket up Devan's arm!

Here's the Praying Mantis in the bag in the lab! I don't think my boss would appreciate this.


After having our fun we brought it outside and let it go in a tree.

Posted by Evan at 10:52 PM

Sin City, Thailand style

This past weekend me, Lisa, Samson, Misha, Raina and my roommate Guillaume flew up to Thailand for 3 days of sand, shopping and beer (at least for me). Phuket is definitely not a quiet Asian city, you feel like you are in Florida or some other place. It is busy, loud and expensive. In 3 days I spent the almost as much as I did for 10 days in Indonesia! The first day we went swimming and walked around the city shopping for fake clothes. The beach is huge but completely packed with people and stuff to spend money on. Don't come here looking for a quiet beach vacation. We went in the low season, which is the monsoon season, so the place was "relatively" empty. And since is was the monsoon season it is not completely safe for swimming. You can only swim in a small area and cannot go too far out because of the dangerous rip currents. But it was still fun and we spent a few hours playing in the water.

This is the beautiful but packed Patong beach:


On Sunday we signed up for a snorkeling tour of the famous Phi Phi islands. The movies "the beach" and "the man with the golden gun" were shot at Phi Phi Leh a few years ago and now every tour agency offers a trip there. And they like to rip tourists off too. The asking price was 2400 Baht and we managed to talk them down to 1200 after quite a while. If you go there bargain hard! The tour lasted all day and took us to some of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen. After an hour long boat ride that was super bumpy due to the rough monsoon season seas we stopped at a huge reef alongside a dozen other tour boats, each filled with 30 people. Despite the crowds the snorkeling was just amazing. Crystal clear water, coral reefs just feet below the surface, and millions of colourful fish swimming all around. I brought an underwater camera but forgot to take pictures at this stop, and much to my chagrin missed our only opportunity as the other snorkeling stop was, unbeknownst to me, crappy cloudy water. After this stop we passed by the 'James bond' rock bay where "the man with the golden gun" was filmed. But due to low tide we couldn't get the boat in to actually see the rock. Then we passed a place called the Viking cave, which has ancient pictures of Viking vessels on the walls, and then "monkey bay", a small strip of sand full of frolicking monkeys.

The entrance to the bay containing the "James bond" rock. Too bad we couldn't actually see it.


The "Viking cave". All of the wooden ladders are used to collect the birds eggs which are sold to wealthy Japanese.


Monkey Bay: our boat driver was scared about running aground so wouldn't go close enough to the beach for my 4-times zoom. You'll have to take my word that all of the little dots on the sand are monkeys.


Finally it was time for lunch so our boat headed over to Phi Phi Don. This area was hit really hard by the tsunami. You can still see buildings missing huge sections and there is a bunch of construction going on. But it looks like the tourism is back to normal as the place was packed with "Farangs". Here's a pic of all of us at lunch: from L to R: Samson, Lisa, Misha, Raina, Guillaume and me.


Sunday night Misha, Raina, Guillaume and I went out to experience the night life of Phuket. This is this one street in Patong (Bangla Rd) that seems normal enough during the day, but turns into something else come night. The whole street is blocked off, fills with people, pounds with bass and glows red until the wee hours of the morning. Words cannot describe the place. Off the main road there are a bunch of mini-streets full of bars and more lights. Amsterdam has nothing on the place!

Here's a pic of Bangla Rd when the night's still young (11pm) and the crowds haven't come out yet.


As the night got later more and more lady boys came out of hiding and started dancing on tables all over the place. And unlike Amsterdam you can take pictures! Do these looks like men to you?


Guillaume was the first to turn in and head home. Misha, Raina and I went to this place for a beer and this fun nail game where you have to hit a nail into a stump with a super skinny hammer. It's harder than it sounds. I ended up meeting an Australian guy, a British guy and some British girls at a bar-type place and had a real good night observing the happenings of this place. It's really strange to see an old, fat man with this tiny, (sometimes) pretty Thai girl walking hand in hand. Sometime later we went to one of the craziest discos I've been to, Crocodile Disco, and had a fun night hanging out with some random unknown people. Before I knew it the sun was up so I had a nice walk back down the beach to my hotel an hour before meeting the others for breakfast at 9am!

Despite feeling a little hindered, Monday was definitely the best day in Phuket. Why? This is why!!


Yup, that's me! 60 meter free fall into a small lake!! I was super freaked to jump but somehow managed to jump on my second try! As the cage was raising up the crane I felt more and more nervous. Around halfway I thought to myself "ok, this is a good height to jump from, now lets stop this thing" but no, the cage was still raising me up and up. Finally it creaked to a halt 60 meters above ground. I felt like I was a mile high. People on the ground looked like ants. Part of me definitely didn't want to jump at all. But the other part, the part that was saying this was something I wanted to do, thankfully won the battle and allowed me to jump. This is the part that took over and forced my feet to spring me forward. The other part of me didn't know what was happening. It took the first half of the jump for my mind to register that I was indeed speeding towards the earth. So much so that I forgot to scream until halfway through the jump! The first half of the jump was like it didn't happen at all, but the second half seemed to take forever! Finally I hit the water, plunging into my waist, it was over, or so I though. Then something unexpected happened, the cord yanked me up with such a force. I was almost as high as the cage again and my head was pounding with blood. Unfortunately I think my brain was too busy trying to figure out what was happening that I forgot to scream like you're supposed to. Oh well. After an eternity of hanging there bouncing up and down I was lowered onto a platform grinning like a fool! Bungy jumping kick ass!

The rest of the day was tame in comparison. We all went for a Thai massage, which was pretty fun, and then just shopped and ate until we had no more money and it was time to fly home.

Posted by Evan at 10:17 PM

Going to "Fukit" this weekend!

Yup that's right folks, the dysfunctional 5 are heading to the sleazy beach paradise of Phuket, Thailand for 3 glorious days of the monsoon season!!

I was looking up guesthouses today at work and I came across this interesting place! Here's their sales pitch...

Recover from your transsexual SRS surgery with Dr. Sanguan Kunaporn here in Phuket... I have 4 private rooms dedicated to women experiencing the first few days in their New World.

No matter how much we plan for SRS surgery, there are unexpected questions and emotions we each encounter immediately after surgery. It’s been very interesting meeting everyone, and hearing about everybody’s individual experiences, while being able to share my transsexual TS Road Map.

I'm gonna make sure my guesthouse is as far away as possible from this place. But still, it looks like it may be an interesting weekend!

Posted by Evan at 4:36 AM

Indonesia Photos: Finally the last part!

Ok so if y'all are still interested I have more photos to post! This is taken on the way to Cilacap from the comfort of the minibus. It looks like Limpbizkit has fled to Indonesia after falling miserably off of the US charts! Either that or just another elaborately decorated minibus.


After Cilacap I transfered to a local bus for the rest of the trip. The bus was hands down the crappiest thing on wheels I have even been on. On the way there we pulled off the dirt road to fill the tyres up with air, but then the bus stalled. The driver then climbed in the hatch you can see in the picture under the bag and started to turn and bang things with wrenches. This didn't work so we all had to get out and push start the bus, twice! Oh it was a fun trip!


One of the highlights of Pangandaran was the trip up the Green Canyon. You take a boat up the river until you hit rocks. From here you swim against the current pulling youself along the rock walls until the river turns way too dangerous to swim. This picture is taken from where boats stop and where you start swimming. We swam up around the bed and kept going for about an hour our of the picture. Then at the end you get to ride the current all the way down, except for the part in the picture as it's too slow. It was great fun!


One the boat ride after swimming: a guide, Matt, and Elsa making the boat all the faster with her paddle!


Look, my Germany beer belly is almost gone!! Take that Westvleteren, Warsteiner, und Wuerzburger Hofbrau! Caroline, Gav and our swimming guide also in the pic.


Here's to ungracefullness! Having fun jumping off of the canyon walls! Maybe one day I'll be able to tuck my knees in.


There were tons of stray dogs running around Pangandaran. They all looked the same, small and cute! I didn't pet any but they seemed friendly enough and would rather mind their own business.


At the end of the beach the jungle started. You were told to go into the jungle only with a guide so I only walked to the edge of it but found lots of monkeys swining in the trees and running around on the ground. This one is eating a banana. I left when they started hissing for food!


This is at the fish market. They have all kinds of freshly caught fish and seafood sitting out. You pick what you want and they clean, gut and cook it all right in front of you!


Sunset at Pangandaran first night. Such a beautiful place!


Not a good pic but all the other ones were way more drunk looking. Elsa and I are riding in a becak (pronounced bay-chak). It's a three-wheeled bicycle thingy. You pay the driver about $1 to take you across town. They are quite fun for a short trip!


On the way to Jakarta. This was taken out of another bus window. It gives you an idea of some of the dramatic scenery of Java: Muddy rice patties surrounded by volcanic mountains.


This is in the old Jakarta Harbour. Matt and I paid a guy in a small boat to paddle us around the old lumber ships that are still used to shuttle teak between Indonesia's islands. The picture looks fine but the waters here were very gross. The corners were full of garbage and filth. I even saw a dead dog floating under one of the houses.


This is taken in a small village near the old harbour. I really like how the colours come out in this picture. (and if it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, I don't!)


Here me and Matthieu are at some special monument thingy in Jakarta. It's wonderful not knowing what things are!


Elsa, me and Matt riding in a Tuk-tuk through the streets of Jakarta!


I saw this lift in the Jakarta airport. You would think they wouldn't call it something so insulting to certain people!


And one last picture, I promise! I thought this was an interesting contrast of Jakarta's poor and rich, new and old. Here we have one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Jakarta, people living in shanty-town shacks, and then a huge modern sky scraper towering over. This is also the place where I saw the dead dog to the right of those boats.

Posted by Evan at 11:37 PM

Indonesia Photos part 2: Yogyakarta

I have just way too many pictures to post, but I thought I would post some of my favorite ones anyway. So hear we go...

This is my bathroom in Yogyakarta. You might be wondering why the hell I am posting this? Well I thought I would post it to give you an idea of the toilets in Indonesia. The tub-like-thing on the left is called a Mandi and that's where all of your water comes from. I was lucky to have a shower hose and a Western-like toilet. Most of the time you have to scoop the water out of the mandi and pour it over yourself for a shower. And most of the toilets are just holes in the ground and you're not allowed any toilet paper ever, you have to use the water from the mandi and your left hand to clean up! The floor acts as the wash basin and the sink, so everything ends up on the floor.


There's not a whole lot to say about this one except that this is the main "backpacker street" of Yogyakarta. Where everyone is and where everything happens. At night street hawkers set up carts and tables at the side of the road where you can buy fried noodles and other poorly cooked food.


This is the water palace of Yogyakarta. The picture is taken from a tower in which the Sultan would sit and watch pre-chosen girls frolicking in the pool below. Each girl is numbered and when he is satisfied he may choose one of them by number to be his wife! He already has 27 wives!


Yogyakarta is supposedly famous for its batik paintings, some shown here. Batik is basically elaborately painted cloth. Most of the stull in Yogyakarta is over priced for the tourists and batik scams run abound. I didn't bring enough money with me to afford the $15US prices!


It was really fun to watch this group of people train pigeons to fly around and come back. They would attach a whistle to the bird so that when it flys overhead it sounds like a missle is about to hit you. The first time this happened to me I ducked to the ground, much to the amusement of the locals. Here they are tossing the birds to one another, which is supposed to train them. If the birds don't fly back right away they would grab other birds in their fists and wave them around violently. To me this looked rather painful to the birds and would certainly not convince me to fly back if I were a bird!


Here we have the massive Borobudur temple. It is the largest Buddhist monument on earth and is not really a temple at all but a giant stupa for praying. It was built in the 8th century, but shortly abbandoned for Islam. It then lay buried under volcanic ash and jungle until the 19th century! I joined a tour that took us there to watch the sunrise, but we arrived a little late. Still it was "awe-inspiring" to see something so magnificent.


There are 92 stupas like these all over the temple. Each one has a statue of buddha with a different symbolic hand position inside. After resoration a few were left uncovered to display the statue.


After Borobudur the tour took us to Prambanan Hindu Temple. Similar to Borobudur it was built around the 9th century and quickly abandoned. And one last fact: it's the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia! Now on with the picures:


Near to Prambanan is the Sewu Hindu temple. It is close but close enough, so I got a ride on the back of a friendly Indonesian's motorbike to get there. I was the only person there so it was cool to walk through the piles of ruins around the temple.

Posted by Evan at 9:43 PM

Indonesia Photos Part 1: Gunung Merapi

Ok here we go, finally what all (3) of you have been waiting for, photos from Indonesia!

After getting the hell out of Jakarta on the "bus ride from hell" I found myself in Yogyakarta. The first thing I did was to sign up for a volcano trek up Gunung Merapi, which means mountain of fire. It is one of the most active volcanoes and errupted for 10 years straight! It is one of the 16 "decade volcanoes" because of its high activity. It's also Indonesia's most active volcano, and Indonesia has a lot of them! So who can think of a better idea than to climb it?! In recent years the mountain has been off limits to treks. We were able to make it to the "third" out of 4 stages, just below the crater. It was too dangerous to go any further because of falling rocks from the dome. Out of 12 people, 8 of us made it to the last plateau where we spent the night freezing on the ground at 4am.

This is where we spent the night, more or less, from 4 to 5am. Me, Matt, the Swiss girls and a guide managed to squeeze into this sort of structure from days of old. I have no idea what this thing was or how it got there but the 4 rusted walls provided at least some sort of shelter on the exposed plateau. We spent an hour freezing on the dirt ground before trying to make a fire.


It was one of our guide's first time doing the hike, and he was actually colder than any of us! Our guides tried somewhat successfully to make a fire at 4:30am out of the few wet bushes on the otherwise barren and very windy plateau.


While hunting around for more things to burn we stumpled across this patch of lava! OMG!


Here's the group of us at the plateau at around 5:30am. We're all happy because it's getting light enough to start hiking down! From left to right: Antia (Swiss), the 2 Australians with their handmade toques, me, Eve (Swiss) and Matthieu (French).


Here's a pic of Matt and the ridge we folled down. I didn't get any good pictures of the most interesting part of the trail, the steep part above in the clouds. But still, in this one you can see it is pretty steep and devoid of life (except a stray French guy).


Hiking down we dropped below the clouds to the glorious sunrise at 6am. We followed a rocky ridge down to where the vegetation started again, where we met Peter and then later Julia. Regrouped, warm and happy we just chilled out on the ridge for about an hour watching the sun expose the surrounding landscape. Here we all are happy to be warm and not on some dark, windy, rocky ridge: me, Antia, Julia, Peter, Matthieu, a guide, the Australians and Evelin.


This was our view for the rest of the hike down, Gunung Merhabu!


Back down in the valley we hiked for another hour through tobacco plantations. Here's what it looked like:


There were great views in every direction the entire hike down. Here's one of my favorite of some other volcanoes in the distance as the sun is rising.


And finally the last one. This is Gunung Merapi from the mountain town of Selo, our starting point. The clouds have risen enough now to see where we made it to. We hiked the the last bump just left of the bowl.


So here ends the pictures from my first day and a half in Indonesia. There are way to many to post here so check out the gallery for more!

Posted by Evan at 8:36 PM